Ignoring Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms

Pancreatic cancer is also called cancer of the pancreas. It is a reasonably common form of cancer and a particularly aggressive form. If you experience any symptoms that could point to pancreatic cancer, it is important to have these symptoms assessed by a medical professional. As said, pancreatic cancer is a particularly aggressive form of cancer and if not caught early the survival rates are very low.

What Are the Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer?

Ignoring pancreatic cancer symptoms is never a good idea. This is why it is important to know the symptoms that can point to pancreatic cancer. The main symptoms are:

Jaundice, whereby the skin and whites of the eye turn yellow and urine darkens, looking almost like cola.

Fevers and chills.

Sudden and unexplained weight loss.

Abdominal pain that can be easily confused with bloating or trapped gas. Generally, the abdominal pain radiates to the lower back and feels better when bending over or worse when lying down.

There are other symptoms that could point to pancreatic cancer, such as indigestion, loss of appetite, sickness, diarrhoea, depression and extreme tiredness. These symptoms seem to intensify in the later stages of pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, these symptoms can point to so many other things, that pancreatic cancer is often overlooked. Even a full blood count specifically directed at the liver function can still not always determine the presence of pancreatic cancer.

Statistics on Pancreatic Cancer

The following statistics truly highlight the importance of never ignoring pancreatic cancer symptoms.

Generally, pancreatic cancer is only diagnosed in the more advanced stages because ignoring pancreatic cancer symptoms happens on a grand scale. This is mainly because the symptoms could point to many other things.

Only around 15% of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are eligible for surgery.

Following diagnosis, only around 20% of patients are still alive after one year and only around 5% are still alive after five years.

If diagnosed in the early stages, only around 15% of those diagnosed survive past five years.

If surgery is not an option, most of those diagnosed only live for around seven months.

Pancreatic cancer is more common in men than in women.

Pancreatic cancer is more common in the over 60s and extremely rare in the under 40s.

Unfortunately, as you can see, the survival rates on pancreatic cancer are extremely low. Opting for ignoring pancreatic cancer symptoms, however, is not a good idea. Although you can potentially not increase the time you remain alive, you will be able to seriously increase the quality of your life through medication and other support. Furthermore, you may be able to have surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, offering you a chance of survival, even if it is a slim one.

Most people know their bodies very well and know when something doesn’t feel right. However, people are quick to self diagnose a simple virus and decide to just “sick it out”. However, sometimes symptoms do point to more serious issues, which is why ignoring pancreatic cancer symptoms is never recommended.